Miami County employee tests positive for COVID-19

Prompts closing of Miami County Transfer Station

By Sam Wildow and Melody Vallieu - Miami Valley Today

Health board meeting open to public

MIAMI COUNTY — In an effort to keep the community informed, the April Board of Health meeting will be virtual. If community members would like to view the meeting, it will be held at 9 a.m. Thursday April 23. Those who would like to may join the meeting at zoom.us/j/97206901167?pwd=RkJCanBKd0ZmUWppb1hlT1V3OHJNZz09, Meeting ID: 972 0690 1167 and Password: 164594. Community members also can call in at (929) 205-6099, Meeting ID: 972 0690 1167 and Password: 164594.

MIAMI COUNTY — A Miami County employee recently tested positive for COVID-19, prompting the closure of the Miami County Transfer Station to the public now through May 2. Commercial and municipal customers will still have access to the transfer station.

“We have had one employee test positive,” Assistant Sanitary Engineer Doug Evans said on Wednesday. Evans said the employee who tested positive was one of their operators and did not interact with the public.

The Miami County Facilities and Operations Department had Midwest Commercial Cleaning of Tipp City disinfect the Transfer Station again the evening the employee tested positive for the virus, so the Transfer Station has been fogged twice with disinfectant since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

The modified hours for commercial and municipal users only at the Transfer Station include 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The Transfer Station will be closed to everyone on Saturdays and Sundays.

The Miami County Recycling Center will remain open during the Miami County Transfer Station’s modified hours. The public can still access the recycling center as well due to no employees being at the recycling center.

As of Wednesday, Miami County is reporting 134 positive COVID-19 cases and 22 deaths due to COVID-19, according to Miami County Public Health. This is one case more than reported on Tuesday and no new deaths have been recorded since Thursday, April 16. Of those cases, 13 are have been reported by the Piqua Health Department along with one of the recorded deaths.

The case onset range is March 2 through April 13 with an age range of less than 1 year old to 96 years old, with 80 females and 54 males being affected. Ages range from under 1 year to 106 years old with a median age of 51. The cases include 60 percent males and 4o percent females.

There have been 48 hospitalizations in the county, according to the Ohio Department of Health.

In Ohio, there are 14,117 total cases and 610 deaths, according to Ohio Department of Health Dr. Amy Acton. There have been 2,882 hospitalizations and 880 intensive care admissions.

The state has performed a total of 98,000 tests, Acton said. She said as testing expands in the state, they have come up with a prioritized list for testing those in need. This list includes:

Priority 1 — Individuals with symptoms who are:

• Hospitalized

• Healthcare workers

Priority 2 — Individuals with symptoms who are:

• In long-term care/congregate livings facilities

• First responders/critical infrastructure workers

• 65 and old

• Living with underlying conditions

Priority 2A — Individuals and staff without symptoms who are:

• In long-term care/congregate living facilities with an outbreak

Priority 3:

• Other individuals with symptoms

• Individuals with mild symptoms in areas with high COVID-19 hospitalizations.

For more information, visit coronavirus.ohio.gov or call (833) 4-ASK-ODH.

MIAMI COUNTY — In an effort to keep the community informed, the April Board of Health meeting will be virtual. If community members would like to view the meeting, it will be held at 9 a.m. Thursday April 23. Those who would like to may join the meeting at zoom.us/j/97206901167?pwd=RkJCanBKd0ZmUWppb1hlT1V3OHJNZz09, Meeting ID: 972 0690 1167 and Password: 164594. Community members also can call in at (929) 205-6099, Meeting ID: 972 0690 1167 and Password: 164594.